Cleveland Indians notes: Reliever Josh Outman released

It might be the first time in history a player was released based on a weather forecast.
June 18 was a bad day to be Josh Outman. The Indians’ undefeated relief pitcher was designated for assignment, a few hours before the Indians game with the Angels was postponed due to rain.
The Indians have 10 days to release or trade Outman. If he clears waivers unclaimed, they could offer him a minor-league contract and send him to Triple-A Columbus.
To take Outman’s spot on the roster, the Indians activated pitcher Zach McAllister off the disabled list, where he had been since May 22, due to a lower back strain.
In 31 relief appearances, Outman was 4-0 with a 3.28 ERA. He was tied for second among Tribe pitchers in wins. Outman, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Colorado in exchange for outfielder Drew Stubbs, was acquired to get left-handed hitters out, and he did that, holding left-handers to a .180 batting average.
But Manager Terry Francona said before the rainout on June 18 that the team was concerned that the game would start, then be halted by rain, in which case Tribe starter Justin Masterson might be forced out of the game by the long delay. Activating McAllister would allow him to pitch after the rain delay, and treat it almost like a start.
McAllister was originally supposed to come off the DL and start June 19, and the Indians almost never activate a starting pitcher off the DL until it’s his day to pitch, which was another reason why the timing of the two roster moves June 18 were so odd.
“(June 19) would have been the natural day to make the move,” Francona said, “but with the weather forecast being what it is (June 18), we wanted to protect ourselves, so activating Zach was the best way to do that without over-complicating things.”
Another reason why the Indians designated Outman, according to Francona, is that rookie Kyle Crockett has basically replaced Outman as the Tribe’s situational left-hander. Crockett has a 1.29 ERA in six relief appearances and left-handers are hitting .083 (1-for-12) against him.
“When Crockett came up (from Triple-A Columbus), it changed Josh’s role, and it put Josh in a role that didn’t really fit him, meaning having to potentially give us some length as a lefty out of the pen,” Francona said. “Plus, we really like Kyle because he throws strikes and he’s going to do nothing but get better.”
Brantley update
One thing the June 18 rainout did was help the Indians avoid having to play a game without their best player, Michael Brantley, who would not have been in the lineup due to a mild concussion.
The good news is that Brantley, who took a knee to the side of the head during a slide into second base in a game on June 16, could be back in the lineup soon.
“He’s doing very well, and our medical people think Saturday (vs. Detroit) is a realistic day he could be back,” said Francona.
It’s because of that prognosis that the Indians chose not to place Brantley on the seven-day concussion disabled list.
“He’s an important part of our lineup and we want to get him back as soon as we can,” Francona said. “The doctors said the type of concussion he has should go away fairly fast, and we’re seeing that.”
Brantley said he is optimistic about a quick return to the lineup.
“I’m feeling better every day,” he said. “(June 18) I was able to hit off a tee and play some catch. It was a good workout. It’s all positive. I’ll be ready to go shortly.”
At the start of play June 18, Brantley was fourth in the American League in hitting with a .323 average, fourth in runs scored (49), fourth in on-base percentage (.391), fifth in hits (86), and second in outfield assists (8).
Notes
Indians first base coach Sandy Alomar celebrated his 48th birthday June 18. ... Lonnie Chisenhall’s .368 batting average would be leading the majors if he had enough plate appearances to qualify for the leaders. Chisenhall is 14 plate appearances shy of qualifying. ... In today’s series finale at 12:05 p.m. the two starters from the June 18 rainout will pitch: Justin Masterson (4-5, 5.05) vs. C.J. Wilson (7-6, 3.50).